But how well do you know Oscar?
If you can't be at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday night, you can at least be an Academy Awards know-it-all at home. Here's a warm-up quiz to get you started:
1. Which of these directors has never won an Academy Award for directing?
a) Martin Scorsese
b) Robert Altman
c) Alfred Hitchcock
d) Stanley Kubrick
e) All of the above
2. During World War II, a metal shortage meant that the Oscar statuettes had to be made of something else. What did they use instead?
a) Wood
b) Plaster
c) Britannium
d) Bronze
e) Plastic
3. Which composer has won the most Oscars for Best Original Score?
a) Alfred Newman (whose credits include 'The Song of Bernadette' and 'How the West Was Won')
b) Jerry Goldsmith ('The Omen,' 'L.A. Confidential')
c) John Barry ('Dances With Wolves,' 'Diamonds are Forever')
d) John Williams ('Jaws,' 'Star Wars')
e) Alan Menken ('Aladdin,' 'Beauty and the Beast')
4. Which two actresses shared an Oscar in 1968 after a tie in the voting?
5. How many members are in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?
a) 1,803
b) 5,803
c) 10,803
d) 15,803
6. The 74th Annual Academy Awards in 2002 ushered in a new award category. What was it? (Bonus point: Name the winner.)
7. Only one of the following movies - all considered very 'Oscar worthy' today - won Best Picture. Which one?
a) 'Citizen Kane' (1941)
b) 'Casablanca' (1942)
c) 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946)
d) 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952)
e) '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968)
8. This year, Billy Crystal will host the Academy Awards for the eighth time, but he's far from being the record-holder. Which entertainer hosted the Oscars 17 times?
(1) E (2) B. After the war, the plaster awards were swapped for metal ones. Today's Oscars are made of britannium - an alloy of tin, copper, and antimony that's similar to pewter - and plated with gold. (3) A. Composer Alfred Newman won nine awards in the 41 times he was nominated. John Williams, incidentally, has been nominated 37 times and won five. (4) Katharine Hepburn ('The Lion in Winter') and Barbra Streisand ('Funny Girl') shared the Best Actress Oscar. (5) B (6) Best Animated Feature. The winner was 'Shrek.' (7) B. The films that won 'Best Picture' instead were: 'How Green Was My Valley' (1941), 'The Best Years of Our Lives' (1946), 'The Greatest Show on Earth' (1952), and 'Oliver!' (1968). Note: 'Singin' in the Rain' and '2001' were not even nominated for Best Picture. (8) Bob Hope first hosted the awards in 1939. He never won an Oscar himself, a subject he often quipped about during the ceremonies.
